Aguero and De Bruyne fire City to Wembley final: Man City Player Ratings vs. Bristol City (Carabao Cup)

Manchester City are through to a third League Cup final in five years after fighting past Bristol City 3-2 at Ashton Gate.

Leroy Sané gave the Blues a half-time lead before Sergio Aguero instinctively fired past Luke Steele for City’s second.

The home side eventually fought back through strikes from Marlon Pack and Bobby Reid, giving Guardiola’s men a temporary fright in added time, but Kevin De Bruyne sealed the win soon after on the counter-attack.

Here’s how I rated the Wembley bound boys:

Claudio Bravo – 7

Conceded two goals but neither were strictly any fault of his own. Possessed composure on a night where the crowd were doing their best to unnerve him, Bravo’s distribution also can’t be knocked.

Kyle Walker – 8

A real handful down Bristol’s right-hand side, the Englishman displayed unrivalled composure when in possession and pressed the ball to a standard we’ve all come to expect. There was also a telepathic understanding between him and Bernardo Silva.

Nicolas Otamendi – 7

Did well against all the home side could throw at him and provided cover for John Stones almost all game. As usual, the anchor for City’s build-up play from the back.

John Stones – 6

Has lost his rhythm since returning from injury and was arguably at fault for both of the goals. Stones’ beginning of season form needs to return sooner rather than later.

Oleksandr Zinchenko – 7

Composed at left-back yet again and kept Jamie Paterson largely under his control. Also provided some decent attack link up with David Silva and Leroy Sane.

Fernandinho – 8.5

Bar a nightmare performance against Liverpool, we’re back to seeing Fernandinho at his indomitable best. The Brazilian was the driving influence of the Blues’ possessive dominance and quickly turned play over whenever Bristol stepped forward.

Kevin De Bruyne – 9 (Man of the Match)

Yet another influential performance for De Bruyne, who chalked an assist and a goal on a night he largely dominated in midfield. The assist – a wonderful, defence-splitting pass to Aguero. The goal – a poacher’s finish to kill the game off.

David Silva – 8

The two Silvas retained the ball excellently throughout the 90 minutes, providing a staple for City to stay in Bristol’s half and attempt to carve out openings. David stood firm in this regard, and his reward was an assist for De Bruyne’s strike.

Bernardo Silva – 7.5

Provided the pass for Leroy Sané’s opener after stern determination to win the ball back. Appearing to have settled in, we’re all now witnessing his superb ability to probe full-backs whilst maintaining attacking pressure. Can’t fault him for his display.

Sergio Aguero – 8.5

Essentially put the tie to bed when he fired a superb shot past Luke Steele, Aguero has silenced his critics in City’s last two matches. The Argentine has begun to rediscover the exemplary performances that wrote him into City folklore. Looking more and more dangerous.

Leroy Sané – 7

Despite appearing to be sloppy in possession and often making a poor choice in attack, Sané always pops up with the goods when you least expect it. Case in point, the Blues’ opening goal.

Subs:

Ilkay Gundogan – 6.5

Brought on to give Aguero a rest, the German did his job in packing the midfield.